Working through it all
by Wiggle34
Summary: Nick and Jennifer working through everything they have been through since their first Undercover Operation.
1. Chapter 1

Takes place a few days after the arrest of Michael Lombardi.

**Waverley's office**

"Nick you sure about this?" Waverley asks Nick as the sit in her office.

"It's not what I want to do, it's something that I have to do."

"Buchanan are your sure is there anything we can do to make you stay?" Jarvis asks him, this surprises Nick that Jarvis is prepared to do anything to keep him here.

"No Sir right now I need to do this."  
"Well I'm not happy to allow you to do a transfer, a secondment yes I would have no issues but a transfer Nick, that's permanent." Comes from Waverley.

"I know but a secondment doesn't guarantee I get something I would like or even enjoy this way I get a choice in where I go what I'm doing, and Sydney they're short Homicide Detectives. This way I get to stay working for homicide just in a different city. Also this way you can get someone in to take over my position as well, it then won't be leaving the team short."

"I wish we could change your mine Buchanan it's going to be a really big loss to us here, as well as the team. We're not going to be able to full your shoes." Comes from Jarvis.

"Thanks for your vote of confidence in my skill level Sir, but it's for the best for me right now."

"Well to be honest Nick, I'm not happy to authorise a transfer I'm going to ring them and see if we can do a secondment. I really do not want to lose you full time Nick, and neither does Jarvis or Wolfe. So we have to find a way around this. A compromise that makes us all happy in this room."

"What about taking some leave Nick?" Comes from Stanley Wolfe. "Gives you some time away from the place, to think and decide really if this is the best thing for you."

"Yes some leave now that is a good idea Stanley. What do you think Nick? Do you think a few weeks leave might be of help?"

"I would prefer more than a few weeks leave Ma'am?"

"That won't be an issue Nick how much time do you want off?"

"Could I ask for three months leave?" He asks unsure if they will grant three months leave hoping they just give him the transfer as he has requested.

"I'm sure we could manger that couldn't we Commander Waverley?" Comes from Jarvis, trying to not let Waverley shorten the leave, they all have a fear Idea of why he's taking leave.

"I'm sure we can since this has come in so soon after your kidnapping we can put you off on stress leave, you will need to see Claudia a few times to correspond with my paper work, but we surely can give you a few months leave on stress factors."

"I've already been seeing her ma'am so that won't be an issue, I thought I would have to see her to be able to return to work so I went on my own."

"Even better Nick. So shell we action this as of now you're on leave. I will get the paperwork sorted out with Claudia, Stanley sort out a temporary replaced to come in and help out the crew. Nick if at any time you need to talk to us please feel free to come and see anyone of us, we do not want to lose you."

"Will do ma'am. And thank you all for your support."

Nick leaves Waverley's offices and collects his gear from his desk before heading home.

Once home he starts packing a few bags of clothes and other items he will need. He goes through his fridge and figures out what he is going to take with him from it and what else he is going to need. Two hours after being at home he receives a phone call from Commander Waverley saying everything is all go and he can go do what he needs but that he will need to touch base with Claudia and work out session times to see her, he also informs the Commander of where he is heading off to in case they need to get in touch with him. Informing her his only form of contact will be his mobile phone. He finishes packing everything up loading up his Ute, as he gets in to his Ute Jen arrives.

"You off somewhere?" She asks as she walks up to him. Noticing the chilli in the back of his Ute.

"Yes I am, Waverley has placed me on leave."  
"Oh were you going to tell me?"

"No not really."  
"Why?"  
"Well after the way things went the other night and the fact you have been avoiding me as much as possible since at work, I thought you were having second thoughts yet again. I can't go through that Jen. One minute on the next off, you won't accept me transferring so this can work so where does that leave us mm? Right back where we were a few months ago. Hiding this from everyone. You said you didn't have the answers that day in my car, and you also said you didn't want to string me along while you tried to figure it all out, how do I know that you are going to stay that all this stuff that has happened with Dane Majors, is the only reason you came back." He takes a moment to gather himself together to give her a moment to speak but nothing comes out of her mouth.

"We need some time apart Jen. You need the time to figure out if this is really what you won't because if it is I'm transferring out, regardless I know what homicide means to you it's all you have ever done, just like me, but the job if staying means I can't have you then I'm leaving well to be honest I'm going to transfer one way or another, I can't stay in the say squad as you Jen, I can't sit beside you and pretend I don't love you, pretend that I don't want you in my bed every night to love, and hold. To wake up to in the morning. I can't be that close but also that far away at the same time. The last few months have proven that too me, I love working there Jen but for me I can't do it any longer. I'm sorry that this is how it has to be, but it's for the best for now. I'm on leave for three months I will be back and forth. So think about it. You know how I feel, how I have always felt about you it's never been a secret Jen and you know that. Anyway I really need to get going otherwise it's going to be late by the time I get where I am going." He pulls her into his chest and hugs her, places a few kisses on the top of her head, before letting go and getting into his Ute and driving off.

Jen stands there watching Nick drive off and out of sight, before locking her car and getting the key for his house, she enters and goes and curls up on his bed and falls to sleep, a restless sleep. Dreams plaguing her all night long.

When Nick got to his Cabin in Kinglake not far from the city, it was quiet enough to feel like you were hours away from the city, but when in fact it was only a short drive back to Melbourne. Having decided that this place would be the best place to go for the time being. Allowing him not too far to travel when he was called upon back at work for anything that Waverley or Claudia thought he should do. He just hope Jen would not follow him up here or come and visit. He really wanted some time alone. He knew how he felt for Jen, he had always felt like that, no matter how many times he tried to tell himself he only fell in love with her because of their job together. But his feelings never went away then her returning only made them stronger, how the team hadn't noticed the little things they did for each other, making drinks, sharing cups of coffee or tea. They hadn't said anything if they had. The only thing about all of this he was sure about was his feelings and that he couldn't stay in Homicide no matter what Jen decided.

He finished bringing everything inside the cabin, before eating and settling down for the night.

Unknown to him was the way Jen was sleeping and where, how she was tossing and turning, waking and then falling back to sleep. He also had a restless night, his dreams plagued with different ways of Jen telling him she couldn't do this.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Two weeks later.**_

The team are sitting around getting ready to give their morning debrief on how the current case is going, when Jarvis walks in with someone Jen's knows following him.

"Right team, I finally have a new member for us while Buchanan is away on leave, his name is Brendon Lee. Now he will be staying on even once Buchanan returns so please make him feel welcome. Lee, this is Matt Ryan he's your sergeant, he leads the team, then we have Jennifer Mapplethorpe, Allie Kingston, Rhys Levitt, he is the Commanders Nephew, as well as Duncan Freeman." Comes from Jarvis. Jen sits there not too happy to see this person. Allie notches Jen shaking her head over something but what she is unsure.

Over the next thirty minutes the team go over what they have found out and what they plan to do, before they all head off to do what they need to do.

Brendon Lee heads towards the desk and goes to sit down at Nick's desk.

"Sorry Brendon that desk is taken you need to go over to the one opposite Rhys, not sure if you will get a computer or a laptop depends on what the IT guy has set up for you. He'll be up at some stage today I would presume." Jen says to him as she sits down at her desk and pulls out some notes.

"It's nice seeing you again Jen." He says to her and watches as she says nothing to him, not sure what to say.

"Well for me it's not. But if you will excuse me I have a meeting with Waverley to get too."

She heads off to see Waverley as she had been requested to go see her as soon as morning briefing had been finished, she knows she is late but making sure the new guy got the right desk was more important, no one sits in Nicks desk as far as she is concerned, for her seeing it empty each day is hard, she hasn't seen or spoken to Nick since he had taken leave, she has spent nearly every night at his place, hoping that maybe he will turn up, and maybe they could talk some more. But so far no luck in doing that, she does know he has been home as she notices somethings have been moved, some returned and other items taken, she is pretty sure she knows where he is, but she wants to respect him but not going there, they both need some space, and time to think.

* * *

Once she leaves homicide for the evening she heads to Nicks place like she has done every night since he took leave, as she pulls up she's surprised to Nicks Ute parked out front. She's unsure if she should enter or drive off until his figure shows up on the front step, she knows he has seen her so driving off won't work now. She gets out of the car and goes up to him.

"Come in Jen, we need to talk." He says in a soft calm voice to her. No hint of anger showing when he spoke, and this helps relax her some more.

Once inside Jen proceeds and sits down on the couch, while Nick heads back to the kitchen to finish cooking dinner, he then dishes up tea for both of them.

"Thanks." Jen says as he passes her the meal.

"You've been staying." He says to her, he doesn't ask but says as he knows she be the only one to come inside his house, having a key and then sleeping in his bed.

"Yes." She says to him, so softly he nearly doesn't hear her say it. Nothing else is said between them as they finish eating their meals.

"Nick, I've been thinking, been talking to Waverley. I know we still have a lot to work out, I have a lot to work out. Today I had my first session with Claudia to try and work out what it is I won't."

"Are you doing this for me or yourself?"

"For myself Nick, the last two weeks with you not being here, me staying here made me realise that I can't figure this out on my own, yes Dane was one of the biggest factors to me wanting this again, happy to hide it from them all, but your right last time I hated hiding it, and I didn't have any answers I still don't, I don't know when I will. But I do know I love you Nick and I have missed you while you've been away. At least I know what my feelings are for you it's just working out the rest of it all."

"The rest of it as in Marriage, Children, like I spoke to you about a few months ago?"

"Yes that and my fear of this failing, and my job as well, Homicide is the elite of the jobs."

"Well you know I'm prepared to support you, you don't have to give it up Jen."

"There be times where I will have to step away from it if we did go down the road of having children, I've always been so career driven, that doing something else scares me I realised that today when talking to Claudia."

"This scares me too Jen. But I'm willing to try but only if your 100% into this. As I said to you two weeks ago I will happily give up my spot at Homicide just to be with you. Having you in my bed to love freely without worrying about breaking rules means more to me than my job."

"Yea but You've been part of Homicide for most of your career as a cop, it's in your blood like it is in mine."

"Yea but love makes you rethink things Jen, you've always known that what I feel for you is always been more than just a random fling, I've always wanted more with you for a long time now."

The two just sit there, not saying anything to each other it's not a bad silence at all, but a silence they both were enjoying, Nick moves and sits beside Jen on the couch and wraps his arm around her shoulder as he sees her trying to hold herself together.

"Sorry for crying, just been a long tough day on top of a very intense session with Claudia today hasn't helped."

"No need to be. Some of my sessions with her have left me feeling not just emotionally drained but physically draining as well. Without even realising she has done it to me until I get back and settle down for the evening and I have finally relaxed."

"Yea she's good at getting you to open up about things without even knowing it, asks the right questions at the right time before you know it your spilling your guts to her."

"Yep so true."

"Anyway its late I should let you get some sleep, and I should head home."

"Don't head home, stay please." He says to her, he hasn't had any decent sleep since taking leave. He's pretty sure it has to do with her, and not being around her and the unknown of where this is going between them, they both know they love each other but it's not that that is causing the issue, it's everything else in-between.

"I'm not sure if that is wise Nick."

"Jen I'm buggered so are you, let me hold you tonight and get some sleep we both could do with it." He says as he gets up and holds his hand out to her, she takes it and leads her to his room turning off the lights as they go along.

They both get changed and crawl into bed, as they cuddle up they share a kiss say I love you to each other, then very quickly and easily they drift off to sleep. Both having a peaceful enjoyable sleep, something neither of them has had since Nick took leave.


End file.
